More than GDP – Measuring what Matters - report of the Scottish Roundtable on Measuring Economic Performance and Social Progress in Scotland

Notes from the roundtable discussion convened by The Sustainable Futures Commissioner and Cynnal Cymru.

Professor Jan Bebbington who chaired the Scottish round table, presented the conclusions of the Scottish roundtable to a number of key stakeholders here in Wales.

The Scottish initiative was established by the Carnegie Trust to consider the development of Scotland’s National Performance  Framework in the context of the findings of the Stiglitz report which emerged from the commission established by President Sarkozy to advise on how to better measure economic and social performance. There is a growing acceptance that currently too much emphasis is placed on GDP as a measure of progress. The Stiglitz report includes 12 recommendations for the Scottish Government and proposes a process of developing the Scottish  National Performance Framework that is based on a greater senses of shared ownership and responsibility.

The Welsh roundtable session concluded that we had much to gain from applying the lessons learned in Scotland, particularly in the context of a new administration with a focus on delivery.  It was recognised that the One Wales One Planet sustainable development scheme does provide a platform for reporting economic, social and environmental progress, but that there was work to be done in terms of wider engagement, clarity of key indicators and establishing a framework which was applied consistently across national and local government.

 A new programme of Government provides an opportunity to ensure that we have clearer measurements of progress.

The following points represent potential actions recommended at the roundtable.

Proposed Actions from the  Sustainable Futures Commissioner Roundtable  - “More than GDP Measuring What Matters”.

1.       Communicate  the importance of the work in Scotland in respect of both the learning from the National Performance Framework model and the recommendations of the Scottish  roundtable for adopting the Stiglitz report.

2.       Feedback to the Permanent Secretary and propose inviting Sir John Elvidge as the recently retired Permanent Secretary of the Scottish Government and member of the roundtable on  “Measuring Economic Performance and Social Progress in Scotland”.

3.       Incorporate the lessons and recommendations in the proposed development of the SD Bill in the new Government as a means of strengthening the current SD duty and ensuring it is embedded through measurement and reporting systems across all levels of Government.

4.       Ensure the review of the SD scheme, which will take place as a legal requirement on the new Government,  includes a focus on measuring, reporting and communicating the key indicators of progress.

5.       Incorporate any potential short term improvements in Welsh Government’s annual SD report due this Autumn.

6.       Undertake  a wider engagement exercise around the publication of the annual SD indicators for Wales as a practical means of getting greater engagement on measuring what matters.

7.       Work with WLGA to identify and develop best practice in measuring and reporting what matters with LAs and ensure greater linkage with national frameworks.

8.       Review the learning and identify potential value in earlier efforts to establish an Index of Sustainable Economic and Social Welfare for Wales.

9.       Review the potential for a wider longer term process to engage civil society in establishing a future vision and measuring what matters in the progress towards this vision – with links to communication and engagement plans being developed through the Climate Change team in Dept of Environment and Sustainable Development and the visioning work in the private sector being led by Business in the Community.

10.   Maintain the links with Scotland and the Carnegie Trust in taking the report forward and connect with other nations undertaking similar thinking across the EU and through Network of Regions for Sustainable Development, including leading practice within US states such as Virginia which provided models for the Scottish National Performance Framework.

11.   Maintain links with the European initiative “Beyond GDP” http://www.beyond-gdp.eu/news.html#Beyond_GDP_Resolution